- - -
Big Macintosh always got up before the sun rose. That was the life of a farmer, and he'd taken to it happily. There was something almost... Magical about watching the sun rise over the horizon, in the stillness between night and day. The golden rays stretched out over the apple orchards, like paint on a canvas. There was no breeze, just the stillness of nature.
He had gotten up just a bit earlier than usual this morning, for something important. He stood in a little field in the northern orchard, and cleared his throat.
"Hey Pa. Hey Ma. Jest wanted to see you this mornin'. Sorry ah haven't stopped by a lot lately. Been busy."
He smiled slightly, and nodded.
"Eeyup. Ever since Princess Luna got back, it's jest been... Non-stop. Not makin' excuses. Coulda spared the time, but..."
He sighed softly through his nostrils.
"Ah'm goin' on a date tonight," he said. "Ain't like last time, no love poison nonsense. Cheerilee was nice-You'd have liked her, Ma-but... Yeah. Jest didn't work out."
He chewed on his ever present grass stalk between his teeth.
"She's... Special. Really special. Apprentice of Princess Celestia herself. Yeah, ah told you about her before. She's a... A heroine. She's bright and smart and kind... Beautiful, too."
He smiled again as the trees above turned orange and red in the dawn sunlight.
"Ah don't know if it'll work out," he admitted, "though Granny says that's always the risk with this sort o' thing. Ah mean, what could some high class national heroine want with some plow horse like me? Don't make no sense."
He was silent again, chewing on his grass stalk.
"Ya told me t' go wit mah feelings. To trust 'em. Well... Ah do feel something special with Miss Sparkle. But... Ah might've felt that with Cheerilee, too. Ah was mistaken then. Though she's still a good friend."
Big Macintosh looked to the east. The sun was now fully above the horizon. He shook his head, his mane waving a bit.
"Ah do know ah want this date to be a good one. She's a hoof full though. Don't rightly know if ah'm the stallion fer her. She can seem larger than life... And other times, like the loneliest pony in the world. She's got so much weight on her shoulders, but she bears it as best she can. It's like there's... A Destiny around her. She pulls everypony in. She ain't borin', that's fer sure."
He smiled again, and nodded his head.
"Anyway... Ah wanted t' let ya know. Ah hope it goes well. But, no sense in forcin' anything that ain't meant to be."
He paused.
"But ah really want it to go well. So... Hope you and Ma are watchin' over us. Hope ya'll approve. Ah'll talk to ya later."
With that, Big Macintosh turned and trotted off to begin his daily chores, leaving the apple tree shaded tombstones to their rest.
- - -
Twilight Sparkle had barely been able to sleep that night, she was so excited. Finally she had to spell herself to sleep, and awoke the next morning with a bright, happy smile.
One reflected on the face of her mother leaning over her.
"AHH! MOM?!" Twilight cried, tumbling out of bed and onto the floor.
"Morning sweetie!" Velvet said cheerfully, unperturbed by her daughter's roll. "Spike and your father are getting breakfast! Come on down!"
"W-Wait, why are you here?!" Twilight demanded. "I-I mean, not that I'm unhappy to see you Mom-"
"Oh, your father and I had some free time so we decided to come visit you!" Twilight Velvet said cheerfully, "we're in the guest room, don't worry about a thing!"
"The guest room-I have a guest room-?"
Twilight followed her mother down the stairs, through the library, into the kitchen proper. Her father Night Light was just trotting in, bringing with him several muffins... And an eagerly grinning Rarity.
"Hello sweetie! I got breakfast with Spike! Look who came along?"
"It's so wonderful to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle," Rarity gushed, "oh! Twilight! Good morning!"
"Uh, morning," Twilight said, still blinking in confusion even as Spike handed her a muffin and coffee. "Thanks Spike. I'm glad to see you, really I am, but-WOAH!"
Night Light grasped Twilight's shoulders and maneuvered her into a chair at the kitchen table. While her mother, Rarity, and Spike took their seats around the table. Night Light joined them, and everypony wore smiles.
It was honestly a little unsettling.
And suspicion entered her mind.
"Not that I'm unhappy that you're here, but why so sudden?" Twilight asked.
"We wanted to surprise you, pumpkin," Night Light said cheerfully, "After all, we're both off of work right now!"
"And you and your friends have saved the day so many times," Twilight Velvet added, "we thought we'd come by and pamper you a little."
"I don't need pampering!" Twilight said, her reflexive distaste for parental coddling coming out, "I'm a grown mare who's saved the world! And tonight I... Uh..."
"Tonight? What?" Twilight Velvet asked, still smiling but the tone was a tad bit more... Smug. Her father was sipping his coffee, hiding his face. Rarity was sipping her own coffee, but in a more lady like fashion. Spike was reading a Power Ponies comic, apparently tuning everything out.
It was all so... Strange. The timing was off. But why?
Still... Twilight did not lie to her parents. It just wasn't in her nature.
"I... Have a date," she said.
Night Light spewed his coffee out in shock. Twilight Velvet grinned, stars shining in her eyes as she clopped her hooves.
"OH MY! FINALLY! AT LAST!"
Twilight Velvet hugged her daughter happily.
"Urk! Mom, please, it's just a date-!"
"Who is he?" Night Light demanded, glaring angrily as he slammed a hoof on the table. Rarity thoughtfully caught all the silverware and plates with her telekinesis as she smiled.
"Oh, don't you worry, Mister Sparkle! He's a fine, upstanding stallion! I assure you, he's wonderful!"
"He'd better be," Night Light grunted, glaring at Twilight, "only the best for my daughter."
Indignation rose up in Twilight's heart as she glared back at her father.
"He's a very good stallion! He's smart and erudite-!"
"The most handsome and eligible bachelor in all of Ponyville," Rarity went on, "a dreamboat of stallionity! A pillar of strength and goodness! ... With flanks made of steel-!"
"RARITY!" Twilight shouted.
Spike groaned, still hiding behind his Power Ponies comic.
"Please... I just ate," the little dragon protested.
Twilight Velvet just kept squealing happily, cuddling her daughter.
"Ohhh! I'm so happy, Twilight-Do you have a picture of the stallion, Rarity-?"
Rarity calmly held up a photo of Big Macintosh. Twilight Velvet squealed. Even Night Light blushed a little.
"THE GRANDFOALS WILL BE SO PRETTY!"
"MOM!" Twilight shouted, gently but firmly pushing her mother away with her telekinesis, "look! It's just a date! Okay?"
Twilight took a deep breath.
"Look, I really like this stallion so please... Don't do anything... Crazy?"
Twilight Velvet blinked.
"Like what? When have I ever done anything crazy-?"
"My tenth birthday party with the clowns?" Twilight asked sarcastically.
Twilight Velvet blushed and looked aside.
"Ahem... Well I had just done my course on pile drivers and they seemed to be in wrestling tights-"
"MOM!"
Twilight Velvet held up her hooves.
"All right, all right! We won't interfere!" She beamed and nuzzled her daughter. "But we are very happy for you!"
Twilight sighed.
"Thanks Mom... Dad... I-I do mean it, just-"
"You don't want your parents to embarrass you in front of your first coltfriend," Night Light chuckled, nodding, "we get it. Bad timing. Don't you worry, we'll stay out of your way."
Twilight beamed, and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
"Thanks Dad. I appreciate it."
"Now, eat up," Night Light said.
Twilight was hungry. She gobbled down the muffin and coffee... Before turning to the newspaper. Rarity though seized her in her telekinetic grip and began to pull her along with her.
"Come along, no time to waste!"
"What?!" Twilight gasped.
"We must get you ready~!" Rarity declared. She held up three suitcases in her telekinesis. "Don't worry, I brought everything we will need!"
"But-But Rarity, it's only nine in the morning-!"
"Yes!" Rarity said with a nod, "which means we have just enough time to get you presentable! Come along~!"
Rarity dragged the confused and frightened looking Twilight Sparkle out of the kitchen. Night Light and Twilight Vevelt chuckled.
"Ah... Reminds me of our first date, darling," Velvet cooed, hugging Night Light happily.
"Hopefully there won't be as many explosions."
"What? That was the best part!"
Spike sighed and kept eating his cereal. And ponies wondered how he was able to deal with all these shenanigans without panicking...
- - -
Cadance wasn't too inclined to get up early that morning-Not after the night before, rowr.
But a Princess of Love's work was never done! So after leaving Shining in their bed (with a kiss to his cheek as he slept happily), she had returned to her lab and cleaned it up. She then got back to her Shipping Wall, arranging and rearranging the endless web of romantic possibilities.
Hey, Twilight had to get her obsessive compulsive tendencies from somewhere.
The door to her lab opened, and Prince Blueblood trotted in just as she was considering two more lines.
"Blueblood! You're up before the afternoon," Cadance said cheerfully, "what's the occasion?"
Blueblood gave her a most unamused look, as he slapped down a pile of royal forms onto her desk.
"Trading negotiations with Yakyakistan," he stated, "the new railroad line is still in dispute."
"Again?" Cadance sighed, trotting over to the papers. She began to look through them, as Blueblood, without asking, trotted over to the vast wall. He scrutinized it with an unfailingly keen eye for detail.
"Well, I'll be," Blueblood whistled, "no wonder Aunty was in such a tizzy this morning. Twilight Sparkle's actually going on a date?"
"I'm so proud of her," Cadance chuckled fondly, sorting through the paperwork, "and it's not like you can talk. When's the last time you were on a date that wasn't just to keep those bit diggers away?"
"Far too long," Blueblood admitted. He winced as he spotted Rarity's picture.
"I do need to apologize to her," he said, "I had no idea she was that Rarity. Friend of..."
He trailed off. Cadance looked back over her shoulder, curious. His eyes were locked onto a picture of Applejack... And tracing a green thread line between her and Caramel.
The look on Blueblood's face was stony... But would have been shocked and horrified on any other pony's face.
"Something wrong, Blueblood?" Cadance asked.
"... Lady Ponyville is... Seeing somepony as well?" Blueblood asked.
Cadance froze. She scrunched her face up in remembrance...
Some years ago...
Cadance was taking a break from foalsitting Twilight Sparkle to mind a few noble foals. Most of them were fairly well behaved around her in the royal gardens-A few were already attempting to suck up to her, just as their parents would.
She turned a corner in the hedge maze, and saw three foals, dressed to the nines, confronting a burnt orange Earth filly with freckles and nice, if simple, clothing.
"Whoever heard of Ponyville?" Sneered the tallest unicorn, "you mudponies should go back where you came from!"
Cadance was just about to intervene, anger burning through her... When a bench slammed into all three ponies and sent them flying into the hedge. She and the orange filly looked in shock over at the young Prince Blueblood, whose horn was burning with magical energy as his eyes burned in fury.
"If I ever hear you lot say another bad thing about Lady Ponyville again, I'll do worse!" Blueblood declared, trotting over to stand next to the Orange Filly as the three unicorn bullies groaned.
The orange filly, rather than stutter or swoon over the young prince... Smacked him in the back of his head and nearly bowled him over.
"Idiot! What in tarnation are you thinkin'?!" The filly demanded in a thick country accent. "Ah could handle 'em all jest fine!"
Blueblood stood up, wincing, but defiant.
"If you hit them, their families can cause problems for yours," he said, "if I hit them... Well..."
He puffed up his chest.
"It's just a Prince of Equestria protecting his friend."
The orange filly flushed a bit.
"Yer an idiot, Larry," she huffed.
"D-Don't call me that!" Blueblood protested, his own cheeks turning red... Just before the same bench smacked him in the face and he went down.
"YOU LOWDOWN VARMINTS!" The Orange filly roared at the three unicorn bullies. "YOU'D HIT YER PRINCE WHEN HE AIN'T WATCHING?!"
"Some prince! He goes down like a chump!" The lead unicorn shouted, before galloping with her cronies as fast as they could out of the maze. The Lady Ponyville knelt over him, checking him over. He groaned.
"Owww..."
"Dropped yer guard, didn't ya Larry?" The Lady Ponyville chuckled.
"Yeah..."
"Gotta not do that."
"Maybe I'll do better if you stopped calling me that. My full name IS Polaris Blueblood. What's wrong with that?"
Lady Ponyville snorted.
"Are you gonna stop callin' me 'Lady Ponyville'?"
"... No."
"Well then, we're at an impasse," the filly said, her country accent becoming soft and refined. "Now come along-Let's get you to the nurse so you don't have to explain to your aunt how you got a black eye."
"I could just say you gave it to me," Blueblood muttered, as Lady Ponyville helped him to his hooves.
"And have your family declare a blood feud against mine?" Lady Ponyville asked with a laugh.
"If that's all it would take, we're have been in a blood feud from the day we met," Blueblood mumbled, as Lady Ponyville guided him out. Cadance hid herself with an illusion spell, watching the two little nobles as they trotted away.
"Heh. You asked for that one," Lady Ponyville said.
Blueblood smiled softly.
"I suppose I did at that..."
Cadance covered her mouth with her hooves. It was all she could do to cover up her squee.
So cute!
The present
Now, Cadance had set that string up in preparation for a possible shipping offensive to get Applejack into a relationship with Caramel. The Earth Mare was almost as bad of a workaholic as Twilight, and Caramel was apparently a bit of a playcolt. Maybe they could balance each other out.
That, and while she knew Blueblood had been foalhood friends with Applejack (AKA Lady Ponyville), she hadn't picked up any emotions stronger than dear friendship from him over her.
But this... Hmmm...
No. There were some things Cadance would do in the pursuit of love, but not this.
"Not really," Cadance said, waving her hoof, "it's just a speculative pairing."
Blueblood relaxed, just a tiny bit.
Cadance smiled.
"However," she said, "Caramel has hit on her before. Many times. He doesn't seem to know when to give up, really. And since Twilight is thinking about romance... Her friends might start thinking about it as well."
Blueblood stared intensely at the picture of Applejack. His eyes narrowed.
"... I see," Blueblood said with a nod. He turned to his butler-A tall, older, grim looking unicorn stallion in fine black clothing. He had appeared out of nowhere, but Cadance wasn't worried.
He was known for that.
"TOMBS! Prepare my airship! We're off to Ponyville!"
"As you wish, Your Highness," Tombs stated, nodding and opening the door for the quickly cantering prince. He nodded respectfully to Cadance, before he headed out after his employer. The door shut behind them.
Cadance did manage to restrain her evil cackling... At least until Blueblood was gone.
She woke up Shining, but thankfully, he was used to her doing that.
- - -
Pinkie Pie's secret Party Planning Headquarters was now filled with more than one pony. It was pretty cozy, in Pinkie Pie's opinion.
"Keep your hoof out of my eye!"
"Keep yer eye out of my hoof!"
But not everypony had the same opinions as Pinkie Pie, which was fine! It made things so much more interesting!
She slammed her hooves onto the table, dramatically (like there was any other way, HA!) and grinned at her friends Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.
"Okay! Listen up, mares! We only have ONE SHOT at making sure this date is super duper amazing! We can't screw it up!" She declared. "Rarity is getting Twilight ready right now! Fluttershy?"
"Oh, um, I uh, I've made sure that my animal friends will warn us of any threats or dangers so we can handle it outside the town so-so they won't be disturbed," Fluttershy said, "I-I asked them, very nicely. And they agreed. Especially Angel."
"Angel? Why would you demonic little bunny agree to help us out?" Dash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"H-He's not that bad... And it's mostly because he likes to cause harm to big monsters," Fluttershy mumbled, "b-but I promise, I'll talk with him about it more!"
Much staring. Gummy, Pinkie's baby alligator, chewed on her tail. He was always adorable when he did that.
"Okey dokey!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "Rainbow Dash?"
"I made sure Gustav got them the best seats in the house!" Dash said proudly, "nice and isolated so they won't be gawked at!"
"How did you manage that?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ain't he still sore with you over what happened to his Mouse Moose?"
"Yeah, but I smoothed it over by helping take down some bandits with the Hipporeans," Dash said, "they were attacking his spice shipments from Griffinstone! But I helped take 'em down!"
"And took all the credit," Applejack deadpanned. Dash puffed herself up.
"Naturally! Hipporeans don't care about that! They're all stoic and 'this is the way' and junk!"
"All right!" Pinkie Pie said happily, "and I am cooking up their desserts, and prepared a nice little picnic blanket for them with Twilight's telescope, so they can stargaze together! Big Mac likes stargazing too! Ooh, this'll be perfect! So perfect!"
She turned to Applejack, beaming.
"Sooo, how goes your part in all this, Applejack?"
Applejack coughed.
"Well... Big Mac's gonna be ready, but... Ah dunno, mares... Granny told me we couldn't force this to happen."
"We're not forcing it," Dash argued, "we're making sure it goes as well as possible! I mean, this is Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh we're talking about! They have the social skills of bucking rutabegas!"
"I love rutabegas!" Pinkie Pie said happily.
Dash rolled her eyes.
"What I mean is, we're not gonna hang over them and cut their food for them, but... We should do everything we can do make sure it's a great night and that they start dating! Because I've gotta tell you, I do not want to face an evil Twilight!"
"Eh? E-E-Evil?" Fluttershy asked. Dash nodded.
"Yeah! Princess Celestia told me that Princess Luna got jealous of her! And got isolated and socially awkward and ya know, other stuff like that! And she's incredibly powerful! If Twilight gets isolated and junk, she might turn evil!"
"Are you sayin," Applejack began, "that Nightmare Moon wouldn't have happened if Princess Luna had jest... Gotten laid?"
Dash nodded eagerly.
"That's exactly what I mean! Come on, you saw how she looked! Total dominatrix pony! Only some twisted up virgin would be into stuff like that!"
Applejack opened her mouth... Thought about it... Lowered her hoof.
"Yeah, that tracks."
"Ooh! Glad I'm not the only pony who thought that!" Pinkie cheered.
"Y-Yes," Fluttershy mumbled.
Dash smirked and polished her right hoof against her floof.
"Not that I'm too worried about that, but it's better to be safe than sorry!" Dash said quickly.
"Wow Rainbow Dash," Applejack said, "that's... Actually kind of sensible!"
"Yeah, really," Fluttershy said.
"Which is what makes it so surprising," Applejack deadpanned.
Dash puffed herself up more.
"Yeah, I'm totally-HEY!" She scowled at Applejack. "I am not taking horseapples from Rarity or you!"
"O-Oh, please, don't argue again," Fluttershy mumbled.
"APPLEJACK'S RIGHT!" Pinkie cried. "ALSO RAINBOW DASH IS RIGHT! WE'RE ALL RIGHT!"
She held up her hooves and frowned.
"Or am I all Left...? ANYWAY! We shouldn't try too hard... But given how Twilight goes Twinanas, we are going to need a mare on the inside!"
She beamed at Applejack and Dash.
"Which means, somepony's gotta be on a date inside the restaurant too!"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at eachother... And then glared at Pinkie Pie.
"Ohhh no!" Applejack grunted. "heck no! Ah ain't goin' with her!"
"And I'm not going with her!" Dash declared. "I'm a Wonderbolt-sexual, thank you very much! And maybe a Daring Do-sexual!"
"What the hay does that mean-?'
"I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF!" Dash shouted. "Except that on MY scale, you are like... A 6."
"A SIX?!" Applejack shouted, leaning over the table and glaring dangerously at Dash, "ah will have you know ah am at least an EIGHT!"
"HA! Not by my scale, Cornpone!"
"Ummm... I didn't say you two had to go as a couple," Pinkie Pie pointed out. Dash coughed, and nodded.
"Of-Of course! I knew that!"
Applejack sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Buuuuut, it can't be me since I'll be setting everything up," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, "it can't be Dashie because she'll be helping guard things outside-"
"And I-I just don't have a date for the night!" Dash said quickly. "Not that I couldn't get one! I totally could! But they're uh, they're all busy! I checked!"
"Fluttershy..."
"Meep!" Fluttershy whimpered, bright red and now hiding under the table. Pinkie shook her head.
"Rarity... Her standards are too high! Plus, Spike's underaged! Sooo..."
Pinkie grinned at Applejack. The farmpony glared back.
"And what in tarnation makes you think ah can get a stallion to go out with me like that?"
"Just a feeling!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. She twitched. "OH! Applejack, you need to be outside in two minutes!"
Applejack blinked.
"Wait, how do I get out there-?"
Pinkie Pie went to the far wall, and pulled a lever. A trapdoor opened underneath Applejack. She had just enough time to gape before she fell. Pinkie Pie waved her hoof after her.
"BYE APPLEJACK! GOOD LUCK!"
"PINKIIIIIIEEEEEE!"
"Wow," Rainbow Dash said, grinning, "you've got trap doors like that all over? How? Why?"
"Trap door emergencies, of course!" Pinkie giggled.
- - -